Little snatches of my life and the people I love from my corner of the world.

Friday, June 6, 2008

Elder Rob's last letter from the MTC

Wow! I can't believe it either. Monday or Tuesday he'll be heading out to Santa Maria. Sorry this is being posted late - my computer's not portable. Here's his last letter:

Another great week has flown by. How's everyone doing? I love you letters! I am taking advantage of the time I have on these P-days at the MTC but am guessing I won't have as much time to write in the field. So, enjoy it while it lasts!

I can't wait to be in the field! Next time I write you guys and gals I will be in the field! Isn't that crazy! Wow time has really jumped! The language has been a process though. I begun knowing nothing, then I knew stuffs and couldn't apply it, then I could talk but still not understand, now I am really feeling the gift of tongues. I have a lot to be thankful for!! I am in no way fluent but the fact that I can say just about say all I want and understand a lot is really amazing! It's been eight weeks, can you believe it?! I can't believe it's still winter, yuck! I'm really jealous of your summer. Winter has kind of set in here and it's a little nippy. So, I'm really dreading jumping down back into winter when I can't snowboard!

But, anyways my friend elder Lemon showed me some of his journal entries and I felt like mine were really shallow. So I just wrote about things I have been thinking about and I came up on a really comforting thought, I will see if I can write it again... ...The atonement is infinite, not of this world. But, of many worlds! It is not over, it goes on every day. How can Christ be free from suffering if there are people of the earth suffering. It is not a comforting thought that Christ is still suffering, but, it is a comforting thought that at the same moment we are struggling he is going through it with us. We never are alone!

That was really comforting for me and It brought new meaning to me that Christ can always be with us and that we are never alone! I have had such a good time here in Brasil. I am going to miss my friends here. Some of the most amazing experiences here have been proselyting. We have gone three times so far. Each time they give us ten passalong cards and a Book of Mormon. Through us in a van, drop us off in the middle of the fourth biggest city in the world and say, vamos. We have an hour and each time I have had some of the most spiritual experiences relating the love our heavenly father has for his children. In a foreign language! It is so powerful when you can tell the people of Brasil can feel the spirit working through you. You know that heavenly father is expressing his love for his children through a burning feeling in your heart and theirs. A Igreja é verdadiera! Deus ama nos! Todos as pessoas na terra podemos voltar à presença de Deus com seus famílias. Eu sento o espírito santo em mínha vida e ele testificiu a mim esse eles coisas é verdadiero! Eu amo vocês com todo minha coração e eu sou muito grato pelo forte vocês dão mim!(The church is true! God loves us! All of the people on the earth can return to the presence of God with their families. I feel the holy spirit in my life and it has testified that these things are true! I love you all with all my heart and I am so grateful for the strength you all give me!